


The Interview

by Supercatural98



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, One Night Stand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 22:43:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3913399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Supercatural98/pseuds/Supercatural98
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky just isn't expecting this guy to walk into the interview for his new general manager.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Interview

Bucky was having a stressful week. He had been interviewing candidates for the newly vacant post of general manager in his security business, but so far none had fit the bill. He was beginning to think he’d end up having to do the job himself, and advertise for people to take over his own job. By the time Friday rolled around, he was ready to throw in the towel and give up entirely but his assistant, Natasha, was adamant that the one remaining candidate they had lined up for Monday morning would be perfect for the job. Bucky found himself agreeing with her once he’d looked over the reference sheet she’d handed him, but he didn’t care to read the person’s actual details. He didn’t care to know those things; as long as the person could successfully fill their position, they could be whoever and whatever they wanted. He was nice like that.

It was getting near to eight in the evening, when Bucky came out of another unsuccessful interview. Natasha offered to take him out for dinner to help relieve the pressure that had been building up inside him, and she’d cornered him in typical Romanoff fashion that he couldn’t refuse. They went to a bar down the street from the small office complex that the business owned, frequented by both Natasha and Bucky because not only was the food good, but the music and dancing was superior to surrounding clubs too. Sometimes Bucky forgot that he was only twenty seven, and he was allowed nights off like this. He and Natasha were seated in a booth that faced the small dance floor, and both scanned the menus despite knowing exactly what they wanted. A young, bouncy waitress made her way over, and Bucky smiled kindly at her.

“What can I get for you two tonight?” She asked, and Bucky was taken aback by her English accent. He opened his mouth to speak, but his red haired friend got there first.

“Fish tacos! And a side of fries.” She told the waitress, tone indicating her absolute certainty. “Oh, and let’s have some cocktails. Surprise me.” Natasha winked at the waitress, who blushed slightly while nodding frantically.

“I’ll have the same,” Bucky informed her, and Natasha raised her eyebrows.

“No heart-attack-burger tonight? You really are drained, Barnes.” Bucky rolled his eyes, laughing at her. The waitress nodded at each of them, and hurried back to the kitchen.

Bucky and Natasha grew engrossed in their conversation, and Bucky was startled slightly when the waitress was placing a plate in front of him. She was juggling the two bowls of fries in one hand, and Natasha’s plate rested on her arm. Bucky reached up to take something from her, at the same time as she moved her arm away. A bowl of fries was knocked from her grip, and the food went flying though the air. Bucky’s jaw dropped open, and out of the corner of his eye he could see that Natasha was trying not to laugh. The plate landed on the tiles with a crash, and several pairs of eyes were trained on the spectacle. Swearing quietly to himself, Bucky began to stand up with the intention of clearing up the mess. The waitress had flushed, looking down at the mess around them, and excused herself while muttering something about sweeping it up. Bucky buried his face in his hands and groaned, causing Natasha to laugh even more.

“I’m such a mess,” he moaned. “It’s so not funny, just how fucked up I am.”

His friend flashed him a bright grin. “Aw, come on James. It almost looked like you had a crush on her. If only you weren’t _so gay._ ”

Bucky frowned at her. “And since when has my gay-ness been a problem?”

“Only when you fuck up, like you just did, and the waitress has a little crush on you.”

He snorted. “Puh-lease. She was making eyes at you, not me.”

“Well either way, she’s gotta be disappointed.” Natasha said, smirking slightly. Bucky couldn’t help wondering how she became so ruthless at times. They were drawn out of their conversation by the sound of footsteps approaching their booth. He looked up, ready to apologise and thinking it was the waitress, only to be surprised by a very well built blond man towering over them. Bucky would have felt a bit intimidated by him, if it weren’t for the extraordinarily soft features on his face, accentuated by the friendly smile he was wearing. He had to stop himself staring, because the man was simply _beautiful_. He tore his gaze away and looked at Natasha, who was watching him expectantly. The man started to talk, and his deep voice vibrated right through Bucky, causing him to shiver.

“Hi, I couldn’t help but see what happened,” He was saying, gesturing to the mess. “I was wondering if you’d like a hand clearing up?”

Bucky watched him thoughtfully for a moment, before nodding. “Yeah, I suppose so. Actually, that’d be great. Thanks.” The blonde man’s smile grew wider, and he ducked down beside the table and started picking up pieces of the shattered plate, Bucky took his napkin and stood up then made his way round beside him. Most of the plate was in a small pile now, so he started pushing the food into another with his napkin. The waitress came bustling back over to them, with a bin bag and a dust pan and brush. She knelt down beside them, and started sweeping the plate onto the pan, and emptied it into the bag. Bucky picked up some of the food with his napkin, and muttered how sorry he was while avoiding eye contact with all parties involved. He did have to look up when the mess was cleared, and saw the blond man looking at him curiously with a raised eyebrow. He managed an awkward smile in reply and was about to take his seat again when the man held out a hand.

“I’m Steve,” He said, his face breaking into that same delicious smile.

Bucky froze, not wanting to make an ass of himself. He shook the man’s hand, and looked up at him.

“Uh, hi, Steve. I’m Bucky Barnes– well James, but my middle name’s Buchanan so I go by Bucky. My, uh, friends used to call me it at school and it just sorta stuck. I’m forever cursing my parents for naming me.

The man – Steve – was looking amused at Bucky’s outburst. “James Buchanan Barnes? Named after the president?”

“See why I curse my parents?”

Steve grinned. “At least there’s a story to it, or history at least. My name has nothing going for it.”

“Well my friend, Nat, has it worse,” Bucky told him, gesturing at his red haired friend who was studying her phone and pretending not to be listening. “Natalia Alianovna Romanova makes her sound like a Russian super spy. She goes by Natasha, or Nat, now though.”

“Hi, _Nat_.” Steve greeted her warmly.

She looked up from her phone and gave him a wholly unamused look, before returning her attention to whoever it was she was texting. “Hey, _Steve_.” Bucky suspected that she was texting Clint, her long term _not-boyfriend-but-we’re-dating-and-we-live-together_.

“She’s like that all the time, don’t worry,” Bucky explained. “Hey, do you want to sit with us? There’s space in the booth.”

Steve didn’t reply immediately, before nodding hesitantly. Bucky sat down, and shimmied round the table so there was space for his new friend. Natasha raised her eyebrows and Bucky shot her a glare before picking the menu up and handing it to Steve.

“I already ordered, of course. You go ahead and pick what you want.”

Steve smiled. “It’s okay, Peggy knows what I get.”

Bucky frowned at that, but just as he opened his mouth to talk, the young English waitress appeared at their table holding three plates of fish tacos. Her name badge read _Peggy_.

“I’ll be back with your fries in a moment,” She told them, and Steve nodded at her.

“Thanks, Peg,” He said softly, and she grinned at him.

She returned a moment later and placed three bowls of fries in front of them, and three cocktails. Natasha put her phone down on the table and they all started eating in silence. It was strangely comfortable, none of them feeling the need to fill the empty air with awkward ice breakers or conversation starters. Bucky was in heaven with his tacos. He hadn’t had them in forever, and was savouring every mouthful. At one point, he even moaned in pleasure, and Steve looked at him, startled. Natasha snorted and nearly choked on her own food. They finished their food, and Steve excused himself to go to the bathroom. Natasha turned to Bucky as soon as he was out of earshot.

“Is your gay-ness going to be a problem now?” She asked, smirking wickedly at him.

“What?! No. At least, I’ll try not let it be. He’s cute, though.”

“I _know_ ,” Natasha told him, rolling her eyes. “That’s why I asked. He seems nice, so don’t fuck it up!”

Bucky grimaced, and picked up his glass. He sipped at his cocktail and his eyes widened.

“This is amazing!” he shrieked, and took another few gulps until it was finished. He waved his arm and got the attention of Peggy. She started to clear their table, and Bucky asked if she would bring him another cocktail. She smiled at him, and said of course she would.

Bucky was halfway though his second glass when Steve came back.

“You have to try this,” he said quickly and excitedly, holding a glass towards the blonde. Steve said nothing and accepted the glass, taking a tentative sip as Bucky egged him on. Then he kept drinking, and Bucky sat back, looking pleased with himself. That earned him another eye roll from Natasha, who was also drinking her own cocktail.

As the night wore on, the three of them kept ordering more and more cocktails, chugging them down like water and not entirely aware of the affect that they were having. Two hours later, Bucky had convinced Steve to join him on the dance floor, and the music was pulsing through their drunken selves. Steve was moving closer to Bucky, and soon they were bumping limbs together. The dance floor was getting busy and there was a wall of people closing in on the two men, pushing them even closer together. Steve was standing slightly behind Bucky, when someone knocked him into the shorter businessman’s back. He went to move away hastily, but Bucky grabbed his hand and held it to his own waist. The music was so loud that neither bothered to say anything over it, allowing their actions to speak for them. Bucky had no idea where Natasha had gone, but suspected she’d gone home because clubbing really wasn’t her thing. He felt free from any restrictions, even more so because of the alcohol pulsing through his veins. Occasionally he’d turn and catch Steve’s eye, and his breath caught in his throat. Steve looked like a god, with sweat beads forming on his skin in the heat of the club. He would lick his lips every so often, and Bucky would be struck with overwhelming _want_ for him, desperate to kiss that beautiful mouth.

They danced in close proximity to each-other for a few more songs, but eventually Bucky couldn’t take it anymore. He took Steve’s big, strong hand in his own and led him away from the throng of people bobbing up and down to the music. The blonde looked a little confused, but came willingly. Bucky took him down a corridor towards the toilets. It was entirely deserted, and Bucky pulled Steve closer to him, before pushing him up against a wall. For a man with such huge muscle mass, he was surprisingly malleable. Or just willing, Bucky thought hopefully. Steve glanced down at his mouth and then back up at his eyes, running his tongue over his lips. Bucky groaned, and reached up to wrap his arms around Steve’s neck. The taller man leaned down and didn’t give Bucky the chance to initiate anything, because his lips were pressed against his own. It started relatively chaste; gentle and sweet, but both men grew hungry and put more passion into the kiss. Bucky opened his lips slightly, granting Steve access. It deepened and Bucky moaned softly into the man’s mouth. Their hips ground together and the blonde man’s fingers were fumbling with Bucky’s shirt button. Bucky placed his hand over Steve’s and pulled him away.

“How’s about we take this back to my place?” he asked with a sly wink.

Steve’s mouth hung open, and he hesitated. “Sure. Let’s go,” He confirmed eventually. Bucky flashed him his most charming grin, and took Steve out to the street. The air was pleasantly cool against their heated skin and while it was soothing initially, Bucky felt his skin become covered with goosebumps as the cold lowered his body temperature. He tried and failed to suppress a shiver, and Steve’s eyes widened. He wrapped a strong arm around Bucky, who was immediately thankful for the warmth.

It was definitely a good thing that Bucky and Nat frequented a bar only three blocks away from his apartment. It took only a matter of minutes before Bucky was fumbling for his keys in his pocket, and giggling with Steve as he repeatedly failed to unlock the door.

“Here, let me.” Steve murmured into his ear, and Bucky’s whole body lit up immediately at the close proximity of the other man. He felt the keys being pried from his fingers, and the lock unclicked with one smooth movement of Steve’s hand. Bucky buried his face in his hands in embarrassment as his companion chuckled at him, and pulled him gently by the elbow inside.

* * *

 

­­­Bucky’s eyes snapped open, and he was startled to find a strong arm draped over his chest. His _bare_ chest. And he didn’t think either of them were wearing any clothes. He looked down at the man whose face was buried in his neck, smiling as he took in the sight of his messy blonde hair and peaceful features. He could remember the night before remarkably clearly, and definitely did not regret having the best sex of his life.

Steve huffed contentedly, and Bucky shifted slightly so that he was facing him. His movements caused the other man to stir, and he smiled softly so Bucky knew he was awake. Unable to help himself, Bucky lifted a hand up to smooth the golden strands of hair that were sticking up on Steve’s head. He blinked once, and when he opened his eyes, he was met with a pair of the most impossibly blue eyes he’d ever seen.

“You have the most amazing eyes, Stevie,” Bucky murmured softly. “Really beautiful.”

Steve’s cheeks flushed pink, and it spread down his neck. Bucky leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before rolling over and pushing back the covers. He groaned as he realised his head was pounding, and ran a hand through his hair.

“You okay?” Steve croaked, and the concern was clearly audible.

Bucky nodded in response. “Yeah, I think I had a little much to drink last night though. Shit, man.”

“Go get yourself some meds then,” the blond shot back, grinning.

He turned to face Steve, smiling, and nodding his thanks. “’m going. Want some?”

Steve nodded, and Bucky heaved himself up off the bed. It took him a few moments to get his balance, then he walked tentatively towards the bathroom. He plucked a tub of pills off of a shelf, and swallowed two of them with the help of a gulp of water from the tap. He headed back to the bedroom, where he found Steve now dressed properly in his clothes from the night before and his hair flattened out mostly. He held the bottle out to him, and the man took it, looking grateful.

“You want breakfast?” Bucky asked, taking the bottle back off Steve once he’d taken some pills out of it. The blond nodded enthusiastically, and Bucky grinned. “Pancakes?” Steve leapt off the bed and ran out to the kitchen excitedly. Bucky was left laughing softly to himself.

He followed Steve out to the kitchen after dressing himself, and found him rooting through all of the cupboards. There was a pack of flour, some eggs and milk sitting on the countertop, and when he turned to face Bucky, he was holding a frying pan.

“Um, I thought I was making breakfast?” Bucky said, amusement colouring his tone.

“I am a pancake God, okay? No one does pancakes better than me. Plus I’ve gotta thank you somehow for last night.” Steve winked at him. Bucky felt himself blushing slightly, and smiled.

“Okay, Mr-Pancake-God.” Steve laughed at that.

They parted ways after they had eaten their breakfasts, Steve begging off because he had to work. (“On a Sunday?” Bucky had asked. “Yes,” Steve had replied, somewhat miserably.) Bucky was left alone in his apartment, and for the first time since he’d moved in there two years ago, it felt scarily empty. He changed the sheets on his bed, cleaned up the kitchen after the mess they’d ended up making with the pancakes and eventually flopped down on the couch. He turned on the TV to some crappy reality TV, and took his phone out. He had a few missed messages from Nat.

**Hey Barnes did you get home okay?**

**Text me if you’re not dead.**

**I’m going to assume you’re getting some action. Call me in the morning, at a respectable hour please.**

Bucky groaned to himself. There was no way he could escape this. Better to get it over with. He selected Nat’s name in his contacts and phoned her.

“Heeeey, Barnes!” She shrieked in his ear. Bucky winced.

“Uh, hi.” He replied, much more reserved.

“Have a good night?” his friend probed.

“Oh my God. Are we getting into this already?”

“Aha! So there’s something!” Bucky could almost hear Nat fist pumping the air. He hesitated briefly.

“Yeah. Steve’s awesome.”

“Awesome. Is that all you have to say?” Her voice was incredulous, conveying her disbelief perfectly.

“Um... Yes?” Bucky didn’t know why he was trying to get past this.

“ _Barnes._ ”

“He’s amazing, okay? He made pancakes this morning, too!” Who cares if he was gushing slightly?

“Sounds like a keeper,” Natasha told him, sounding a lot more serious now. “You gonna call him?”

“I... Uh. I don’t have his number. Damn.”

“You’re an idiot, Barnes.”

“I know, Nat. I know.”

* * *

 

Bucky floated through the rest of the weekend, nursing his hangover and thinking about Steve. He knew you weren’t supposed to think about one night stands this much- it really wasn’t healthy. He didn’t do it often, but usually they’d led to short relationships in the past. It wasn’t his fault he got attached easily.

By the time Monday morning came around, he was in a position to push thoughts of Steve from his mind and ready to work. He knew he had one last interviewee coming in at nine, so he made sure he was in the office by half past eight to make sure he had everything he needed at the ready. He busied himself with sorting through some disorganised stacks of paper, when Nat stuck her head in the door to let him know his appointment was here. He couldn’t quite figure out why she had a funny look on her face.

Bucky stood up, ready to greet the candidate. He understood Natasha as soon as the man walked into his office, looking absolutely bewildered.

“Shit.”

“Language!” was the response he received, almost instantly. Bucky found himself flushing.

“Sorry, sorry.” He muttered softly. He looked up and met the man’s eyes, only to see him smirking slightly.

“I _was_ kidding, Bucky.”

“I know, Steve. You were the last person I was expecting to turn up here!” Bucky waved his arms around to help prove his point.

Steve quirked an eyebrow. “Imagine my surprise when I walked into the foyer downstairs and was greeted by Natasha then.”

Nodding, Bucky moved to sit down at his desk. He gestured at the seat opposite, and Steve sat down – more elegant than Bucky’d expected, given how well built the man was.

“Well then, Steven Grant Rogers,” Bucky started, reading his full name off of the resume that Steve handed him. “This is impressive.”

It was the blond man’s turn to flush, and he shrugged while stifling a smile.

“Army man, huh?”

“Special forces.” Steve told him. Bucky nodded.

“Me too, I mean before I took over my dad’s business.”

“No way!” Bucky’s candidate’s face lit up. “Who’d you serve with?”

“They called themselves The Red Room. They weren’t a particularly nice bunch of guys, if I’m honest. I got out as soon as I could.” Bucky tried and failed to suppress a shudder as he remembered being thrown around by his supposed team.

Steve was frowning slightly. “Didn’t they-“

“Yes, they turned out to be traitors, supplying insurgents. I had no part in that, and left long before they were discovered. Who were you with?”

“The Howling Commandos.”

“Wow,” Bucky breathed. “You guys were the ones I always looked up to.”

Steve looked down at his lap, bashful. “Well...”

Bucky cleared his throat. “Anyways, let’s get on with this.”

“Please,” Steve supplied, winking at him.

“Hey – save it for the bedroom, punk!”

“Sure, sure.” Steve shot back. “Jerk.”

Bucky shook his head and looked back down at the papers in front of him.

“I thought you had a job,” He said, remembering how Steve had begged off.

“It’s volunteering, really. I help my friend Sam out at the VA every so often. Don’t worry, I wasn’t trying to worm my way out of there.”

“Okay, so you’ve not worked since you left the military?”

The blonde shook his head. “I wasn’t doing so good when I got back, and it took me a while to get back in to the swing of normal life.”

“Why do you want this job?”

“You mean, besides having you as my boss?” Bucky smirked at that. “I like keeping people safe, but I don’t think I’m ready to do anything... In the field?”

“Sounds like a good enough reason to me. Why do you think you’re the best option for it?”

“I like to think I’m prepared to jump in and save people, no matter what. It’s all I want to do, really. Ever since I was small. I joined the army so I could help to fight for my country and to keep people safe.”

Bucky couldn’t think of anything else to ask. The man was damned perfect for the job.

“Well, I think you’ve got the job, Steve. I haven’t had anyone more suited for it, so you can start tomorrow. Is that okay?”

Steve’s jaw hung open.  “Are-are you sure? This isn’t just because we – you know?”

“No, it’s not because we had sex. Although it _was_ damn good sex,” Bucky told him, grinning widely.

Steve blushed beetroot and shifted in his seat. “Do you, uh... Do you wanna get coffee sometime?” He blurted out, looking steadfastly at his hands in his lap.

Bucky couldn’t resist laughing at that, and Steve looked up at him in confusion. “What?”

“Of course! Let’s go now, Stevie. Give the staff something to talk about.”

“Are you always like this?” The blonde wondered, standing up and smoothing down his trousers.

The business man just beamed at him. “Get used to it, punk.”

“Are you going to keep calling me that, more importantly?”

“Duh.”


End file.
